Toothbrushes in which the brush head is connected with the stem in such manner that some resilient mobility of the head can be provided, generally make use of a yieldable element in the stem which, upon pressing of the brush against the teeth or the gums can yield. Such systems have the drawbacks that the brush head, upon use, cannot generally move in all directions transverse to the longitudinal axis of the brush so that during such use, there is a danger of injury to the gums because of this lack of mobility of yielding in certain directions.
The problem is avoided in the toothbrush of German Patent 40 19 313 by connecting the brush head with the stem by an elastic member. In this system, the stem allows only relative movement between the brush head and the stem in the axial direction.
It is indeed advantageous that the elastic element prevents the axial forces from injuring the teeth and the soft tissue around the teeth, but here again the inability to yield to movements transverse to the longitudinal axis poses a problem.
This latter toothbrush, moreover, is of complex construction and comparatively expensive.